The Demon Who Saved Christmas: A Yu Yu Hakusho Christmas Story
by LadyClassical
Summary: Hiei, still on parole, has lost the Christmas spirit. An unexpected blizzard cancels Shiori Minamino's plans to spend Christmas Eve with her fiancé. Yukina is in Makai, where they've never even heard of Christmas, putting out Kuwabara's wishes to spend it with her. Nothing seems to be going right...but sometimes Christmas magic can come from the unlikeliest of places.
1. Christmas Planning

_December 20_—_five days before Christmas_

"I just finished wrapping your Christmas presents, Mother," said Kurama, stepping into the kitchen where his mom was fixing dinner. "They're under the tree right now."

"Thank you, dear," she said. "But you know the best Christmas gift every year is having you here with me."

"And the same to you," Kurama replied. "Do you need any help with dinner?"

"I'm fine," said Shiori. "But I wanted to ask you something, Shuichi, before it becomes too short notice. Do you happen to know what your friend Hiei is doing for Christmas?"

"Well, I don't think he's doing anything, actually."

"Shuichi, I should have discussed this with you sooner, but with one thing and another, I haven't gotten around to it," said Shiori. "You see…I'm worried about Hiei's home life. I've never met his parents. They never call to make sure he's safe, he's always wearing the same outfit, and whenever we have him over for dinner, the poor thing eats like a starving pig."

"Those are just outer trappings," Kurama reassured her. "I don't think he really minds."

"No, it's more than that," Shiori insisted. "You'll forgive me, dear, for saying so, but Hiei is just so…so _cold_. I don't think he's ever fully let anyone in, not even you. Every time I look into his eyes, I see so much pain and loneliness. It breaks my heart. I just know that somewhere, under that rough exterior, all he needs is love."

"You're too kind for this world, Mother," said Kurama. "But I've known Hiei for a long time, and trying to give him all the love he's missed so far isn't a good idea. The only thing it will do is make him feel smothered. I agree he's built walls between himself and the world, but that's how he gets by."

"That's all he _is_ doing, honey," Shiori said. "Just getting by. And that's all he'll ever be able to do unless he learns to let someone in."

"Well, how do you plan to do that?" Kurama asked warily.

"With a little Christmas magic." Shiori winked and smiled slightly. "I was thinking, if his family isn't doing anything for Christmas, he could spend it here with us. You know what they say. Nobody should ever be alone on Christmas. Will you please ask him?"

"Okay, I will," Kurama promised.

…

This was the second wintertime Hiei had experienced in Ningenkai. The first was last year, when Kurama's mother was in the hospital, and Kurama had his fifteenth birthday. The second time, which was this year, they left for the Dark Tournament just as winter was beginning, when the weather was just a little cold. When they got back, it was snowing again, and the whole city was getting ready for something Kurama called Christmas. Last year, Hiei hadn't asked Kurama to elaborate on it, since he was spending so much time worrying about his mother. They had really just glossed over it, and Hiei spent "Christmas" in the woods on the outskirts of town. But this year, when Hiei spent more time in town, in Kurama's home, which was happy once more…

Well, what was the true meaning of Christmas? That was what he wondered. There wasn't any equivalent in Makai. Christmas was a day that humans set aside to love each other. Sometimes, even wars were halted because of Christmas, whereas demons _never_ halted their eat-or-be-eaten philosophy. Hiei could only conclude that he just didn't _get_ humans, and he was still thinking about this when his communicator rang. It was Kurama.

"What do you want?" Hiei snapped.

"Hello to you too, Hiei," said Kurama, rolling his eyes. "Look, I was just wondering if you wanted to spend Christmas with me and my family. My future stepfather is on a business trip with his son in tow, but his flight gets in at noon on Christmas Eve, so he'll be home to celebrate, and we were hoping you could come, too."

"I don't think so," said Hiei. "You know how I feel about human things, especially your traditions."

"Christmas is a time for family," Kurama argued. "Have you lost the Christmas spirit?"

"Maybe, considering the fact that I have zero positive feelings or memories concerning your holiday at all," Hiei said back. "I try to distance myself from humans, _and _their Christmas traditions. Being stuck here on parole is bad enough."

"Well…all right," Kurama said reluctantly. "Just let me know if you change your mind. I'll call you on Christmas Eve."

"Whatever," said Hiei. After they finished their conversation, he kept walking through the snowfall, his eyes on all the happy people around him, finishing their Christmas shopping, laughing and singing, Christmas carols floating out of the karaoke bars and onto the street.

_Such a stupid holiday_, he thought, and forged on.

…

"I'm sorry, Mom," said Kurama. "It's nothing to do with us. Hiei just doesn't care about Christmas."

"That's all right, dear," Shiori told him. "I just figured it was worth asking. Your stepfather and Kokoda will be with us this year, at any rate."

"It's the first year in a long time you've had someone to celebrate Christmas Eve with, besides me, that is," Kurama said jokingly.

"We'll have snow, too," said Shiori. "It's supposed to snow a lot on Christmas Eve."

"That should be pretty. I like snow."

"So do I." Shiori smiled. "I used to take you out to play in the snow when you were just a little boy."

"Yes, I remember," said Kurama. Outside, the snow was already falling, and he turned to his mother, returning her smile. "One walk outside, for old times' sake?"

"Of course," she laughed. "Put on your snow gear and let's go."

…

On the evening of December 23, also known as "Christmas Eve-Eve," they were getting snow, all right. Lots of it.

"I'm worried, Shuichi," Shiori confessed. "What if his flight is cancelled? It's not safe for him to fly up here in a blizzard."

"It's Christmas," said Kurama. "They _can't _cancel it."

But he didn't really believe his words. Was Hiei right? Maybe "Christmas miracles" only happened in stories. After all, "Christmas magic" wouldn't be able to stop a snowstorm, and it wouldn't be able to fix a cancelled flight, either.

"Don't worry, dear," Shiori said finally. "If his flight is cancelled, we can still have a wonderful Christmas, just the two of us."

"We will," Kurama told her, but he could tell she was disappointed.

…

Kurama woke up early on the morning of Christmas Eve. When he looked out the window, he was shocked to see that the snow was really coming down. In fact, when he headed downstairs and looked out the living room window, he saw that the snow was all the way up to the mailbox, and it was blocking their front door.

"Mother, come downstairs!" Kurama called. "Hurry!"

Shiori came downstairs, still in her pajamas and bathrobe, her hair pinned up in a messy bun. She seemed even more shocked than her son as she turned on the radio. Traffic was backed up for miles, said the announcer.

"I've got to call Kazuya," she said frantically. "This could be dangerous."

They wasted no time in calling Kurama's future stepfather on his cell phone. As it was ringing, Kurama pressed the speakerphone button.

"Hello?" said Kazuya.

"I just wanted to make sure you're all right," said Shiori. "The snow is heavy over here."

"Luckily, they didn't cancel my flight, but it's going to be a little late," Kazuya said. "Kokoda and I should be there by around three. We'll pick up some delicious Christmas cake at the supermarket, too. Don't worry, Shiori—I'll be home for Christmas."

"Thank you, honey," she said. "I love you."

"I love you, too," he replied. "See you in a few hours."

"Well, it looks like we're snowed in," said Kurama, after they hung up. "I can go into the basement and get us some board games."

"Absolutely. Around noon, I'll make some lunch."

…

Around three, the snow had finally stopped falling, but they were still snowed in. Kurama kept noticing how his mother glanced out the window, looking increasingly worried. And that was when they finally got a call from Kurama's future stepfather.

"Oh, thank goodness, thank goodness!" said Shiori. "I was worried about you. Has your flight gotten in?"

"Yes, but there's bad news. Kokoda and I won't be able to spend Christmas Eve with you."

"Wh-why not?" said Kurama in shock.

"They've cancelled my train ride home," he said. "I'm so, so sorry. If there's _anything _I can do to make it up to you…"

"Not to worry," Shiori said sadly. "It's not your fault. There's always next year."

"I'll be home Christmas morning after they clear the roads and the tracks," Kazuya promised. "I'll be home for Christmas."

They hung up. Kurama went upstairs to give his mother some alone time, and he called Hiei, as he'd promised. At least he and his best friend could still talk.

…

Hiei always picked up his communicator when Kurama called. As soon as he saw his friend's face, though, he knew something was wrong.

"What's the matter?" asked Hiei.

Kurama sighed. "My stepfather and his son aren't going to be spending Christmas Eve with us. My mom is absolutely heartbroken."

"Why can't he?" Hiei demanded. "Did he break up with her?"

"No!" said Kurama. "They cancelled his train ride home. He's got no way to get to our house before Christmas Day."

"Not even a car?"

"It's probably not safe to drive on these roads, Hiei."

"Didn't you say Christmas was a time for family to be together?"

"No, Hiei, I think you were right," Kurama said sadly. "Where's a Christmas miracle when you need one?"


	2. Christmas Eve

Kurama and his mom had been planning on a nice dinner with all four family members at their big dining room table, but what with the fact that it was just the two of them, neither of them saw a point. Kurama's stepfather was supposed to pick up some Christmas KFC on his way home, but obviously that wasn't going to happen now, and Shiori couldn't get her car out of the driveway, so they were stuck.

The two of them were trying to raise each other's spirits, even though it wasn't going very well. Around six, when they were baking Christmas cookies, the power went out for a minute, then came back on.

"There's a lot of ice on the power lines," Kurama said. "We'll probably lose our power at some point."

"I can probably find some candles in the kitchen," Shiori told him.

Sure enough, when the cookies were almost done in the oven, the power went out, and didn't come back on. Shiori and Kurama lit several candles, staring at the snowy landscape outside. Even if the snow had stopped, it was showing no sign of melting. They couldn't even listen to the Christmas music on the radio, because they had no electricity.

There weren't enough candles to light the entire house, so Kurama and Shiori used the majority of them to light the kitchen, where (luckily) the oven stayed hot long enough for their cookies to be finished. When Kurama peered outside, a frosted Christmas cookie in his mouth, he saw that Christmas lights up and down the street were all out. It wasn't very merry, and not at all hopeful.

"Come on, Mother," he said, walking to the kitchen to fetch another candle. "Do you want to play more board games or something?"

"Of course, Shuichi," she replied, sitting down on the couch. "You know…I don't want you to think I'm not enjoying Christmas with you. Did you know you said your first word on Christmas? Out of all the gifts I got that year, the word 'Mommy' coming out of your mouth for the first time was the very best one."

"Maybe that's why I said it." Kurama smiled.

They played some board games, and a game of charades, and they tried to guess what their presents under the tree were. And then, around seven, when Kurama was in the kitchen fetching another plate of cookies (they had made _far _too many), he heard his mother calling him from the living room.

"Shuichi!" she cried, running into the kitchen. "Hurry!"

Kurama followed her out to the living room, and he was greeted by two huge, bright lights outside their window.

"Are those…are those _headlights?" _he said in shock.

"I-I think they are!" Shiori ran over to the door. "I'll get it."

It was a little hard for her to find her way to the foyer in the dark. She didn't open the door, because there was a huge pileup of snow in front of it, but both of them heard noises outside the door.

"Who is it?" Kurama called through the door.

As whoever it was got closer, it became obvious that the sounds outside were that of a shovel. And next thing you know, someone flung the door open.

Standing in the doorway were Yusuke, Kuwabara, Keiko, Shizuru, and Atsuko, all covered in snow, cheeks pink with cold, but with huge smiles on their faces.

"W-What are _you _all doing here?!" Kurama gasped. "In a blizzard!"

"It was Hiei's idea, Kurama!" Yusuke declared, letting himself into the foyer and stomping the snow out of his boots on the mat. "But we would have said yes right away, he didn't have to threaten us like that."

"Yes, exactly," Shizuru said, coming inside after Yusuke. "We thought we'd stop by with some Christmas cheer, but it was Hiei who came up with the plan. Atsuko and I were just the chauffeurs."

"The chauffeurs?" said Kurama slowly. "What do you—"

"Come on, guys, the path is clear!" Kuwabara hollered, and before Kurama and Shiori had time to process it, they were joined by their remaining three Christmas guests—Kokoda and Kazuya Hatanaka, as well as Hiei, bringing up the rear.

"Oh, Kazuya!" Shiori cried, and before Kurama's eyes, she burst into tears and ran outside to meet him, despite only being in her socks. He picked her up and swung her around, then kissed her on the lips.

"Merry Christmas!" said Kokoda, beaming. In his gloved hand, he was holding a huge bag of KFC takeout.

"I thought Kokoda and I weren't going to be able to catch a train home from the airport until Christmas morning, if we were lucky!" said Kazuya, who still seemed to be processing this himself. "But then what do I find but two cars full of people I don't even know wishing me a Merry Christmas and offering to drive me home."

"It's a Christmas miracle!" Shiori cried. "Come in, honey, please, and everyone else too. Just to warn you, the power is out, and we don't have a lot of candles."

"That's why we brought these, Mrs. Minamino," said Keiko sweetly, pulling an unlit Christmas-scented candle out of her coat pocket. Everyone else did the same. "Plenty of candles to light your house for Christmas."

"Thank you so much," said Kurama. "I'll bring out all the cookies."

"I would normally have served hot chocolate, but I can't make it with the power out," said Shiori.

"We took care of that, too," said Kokoda. "We got you all some hot chocolate at Starbucks on the way home."

"Courtesy of the man who loves you until the ends of the Earth," said Kazuya, giving Shiori a hug. "Merry Christmas, sweetheart."

"Merry Christmas to you, too," she said, giving him another kiss.

…

Hiei wasn't sure how he felt about all of this. Even now, he couldn't believe he'd made the effort of going to Kuwabara's and Yusuke's houses and demanding that they give him a ride to the airport, just to bring Kurama's stepfamily home for Christmas.

And yet…

When he was in Ningenkai, Hiei was always standing on the outside looking in. Humans just weren't the _same_ as demons. Kurama was the only one who understood what it was like to be a demon living in Ningenkai; that was one of the things Hiei liked about him. And maybe that was why…maybe that was why this almost felt good. Just thinking of all the times Kurama had been there for him—including saving his life after the first time they battled—Hiei figured it was time he paid it forward.

"Hiei, thank you," Shiori was heard saying. Hiei was surprised to see tears in her eyes, tears of happiness. "Thank you for making this the best Christmas ever."

"It was nothing," Hiei mumbled, looking down at the ground. "After all, I'm not the one who drove all the way to the airport and back on these dangerous roads that haven't been cleared yet."

"Give yourself some credit," she insisted. "It was all your idea. Yusuke and Kuwabara had no idea we were snowed in and that my fiancé and his son were stuck at the airport for Christmas Eve. If you hadn't told them, our family would still be separated. Shuichi and I greatly appreciate it."

"Speaking of," said Hiei, "where _is _Shuichi?"

"Right over here," Shiori replied, gesturing to her son, and indeed, there was Kurama. The smile on his face was one Hiei would never forget. In fact, his vivid green eyes were teary, just like his mother's, and he didn't say a single word.

"Listen, Kurama…" Hiei began, not having any idea what he was going to say next. But Kurama did something he had never done before, and threw his arms around Hiei, squeezing him tight.

"Thank you," he whispered, his voice cracking slightly with emotion.

"Your mom deserves something good to happen," Hiei said finally. "I should be thanking her. _And_ you."

"Me?" Kurama retrieved a handkerchief from his pocket and dabbed at his eyes. "What are you thanking me for?"

"Well, let's just say that maybe friends _are_ more than just a crutch for the weak," Hiei said, gesturing around all the happy people in the room. "And you were the one to show me that."

"Looks like you've discovered the true meaning of Christmas," said Kurama. "In your own way. And that's the only way I'd ever have it."

"Merry Christmas," said Hiei, smiling a little, and Kurama hugged him again.

"You know what we need?" Shizuru declared. "We need a little music."

"But…the power's out," Kurama reminded her.

"I can fix that," said Kokoda, walking over to the piano and sitting down. "I've been having lessons since I was six!"

"Of course!" Keiko clapped her hands together. "Everyone, get ready to sing some Christmas carols."

So they began to sing, the music filling the house and warming their hearts. Kurama went out to fetch the Starbucks hot chocolate, too, to warm their bodies. But it wasn't long before they heard another knock on the door.

"Hiei?" Shiori asked, looking over at him. "You invited _more _people?"

"No, I didn't," said Hiei truthfully. "Who else could be coming at this hour?"

This time, Yusuke opened the door, and when he did, he yelped, "Guys, get over here!"

Hiei was as surprised as anyone else. There, carrying various tidings of comfort and joy, were Genkai, Botan, Yukina, Jin (wearing a big hat to disguise his pointy ears and the horn sticking clean out of his head), Touya, Chu, and Prince Koenma in his adult form.

"YUKINA!" shouted Kuwabara, pushing past the crowd and lifting her into his arms, bridal-style. "You made it! _You made it!"_

"Merry Christmas, Kazuma!" Yukina laughed, flinging her arms around his neck.

"Care to explain what all _this _is?" said Hiei.

"I caught wind of your parole violation, Hiei," Prince Koenma said strictly. "The airport is considerably outside your specified limits."

_Uh_-_oh_, thought Hiei.

"And in the spirit of Christmas," Koenma continued, "I would like to present you with this."

"This is a parole order," Hiei said in disappointment, staring down at the paperwork Koenma handed him.

"Merry Christmas," said Koenma, pulling out a big stamp and pressing it onto the paperwork. Hiei looked down and saw that it read, in big bold red letters, _**NULL AND VOID**_**.**

"Looks like you'll be going home for Christmas, too, Hiei," said Botan, beaming.

"Christmas?" said Hiei. "There is no Christmas in Makai."

"Think again!" Yukina chimed in happily. "We all heard of your good deed, Mr. Hiei, and I liked the idea of a day where everyone stops fighting and gets along and meets up with family and friends. So now, Makai is going to have its own Christmas celebration every year. Some of the big cities have decorated trees, presents, singing, and oh, it's all so _happy!"_

Hiei had to admit, seeing Yukina happy was an even better gift than having his parole order repealed. And it was nice to think that Makai would now have Christmas, too.

"Oh my goodness," said Shiori. "I don't think I have enough food for everyone here."

"That's okay! We brought some!" Botan said cheerfully. "There's plenty of food to go around!"

"It's all cooked," Koenma reassured her, "so it doesn't matter if the power is out."

"Well, let's get back to our Christmas music, then," said Kurama's stepfather. "I didn't pay for those piano lessons for nothing, you know."

"Hey!" said Kokoda, pretending to be offended, then laughing. "Any requests?"

"We were listening to a really good one on the car radio, weren't we, Atsuko?" said Keiko. "I think it was 'Auld Lang Syne.'"

"I know that one," Kokoda told them all. "I'm learning it in my piano lessons right now."

"My boy is very talented," his father said proudly.

"What if we _don't_ know the song?" asked Hiei.

"Hum a little," said Kurama.

"Tap your feet," Kuwabara suggested.

"Jeez, just do _something_," Yusuke finished with a grin.

Hiei settled for mouthing the words and enjoying the singing and piano music all around him. Some sang, some mouthed the words, but everyone was there, and that was what was important.

"Mr. Hiei!" It was Yukina.

"Yes?" said Hiei warily.

"We all just wanted to say thank you," Yukina said brightly. "Thank you for saving Christmas."

"You're welcome," said Hiei. "And thank _you _for bringing Christmas to Makai."

"I didn't bring Christmas to Makai, Mr. Hiei," she told him with a smile. "_You _did."

"Merry Christmas, Yukina," Hiei said, smiling back.

"Merry Christmas, Hiei." Yukina gave Hiei a hug, and he found he didn't mind at all. That was when they heard Botan's voice from the window.

"Look, everyone!" she cried. "It's snowing again!"

"Come on," said Kurama. "Maybe we should take this moment to check out my Christmas garden."

Everyone filed out into the backyard, staring up in wonder at the gentle snowflakes that fell from the sky. Hiei discreetly used his demon powers to light the candle Kurama was holding, and Kurama passed the flame along until every Christmas candle was lit.

There were considerable gasps as everyone observed Kurama's Christmas garden, though Hiei wasn't surprised. Using his demon powers, he had filled the backyard with garland over the fence, a gigantic Christmas tree, poinsettias, and even a sprig of mistletoe hanging over the door. The garden looked even more beautiful when it was sprinkled with fresh snow.

"Watch this," Kurama whispered to Hiei, and pointed to the mistletoe, which was suddenly creeping conveniently (and embarrassingly) close to Yusuke and Keiko.

"How cheesy," said Hiei, but he was grinning.

"Look, Yusuke," said Keiko, her cheeks turning pink, but her lips forming a smile. "Mistletoe."

Kurama and Hiei got to watch the most awkward first kiss of all time, but still, it was romantic in its own right.

"Let's not forget the music!" Kuwabara shouted out, perhaps to distract all the attention from Yusuke, and they started to sing again, all in one line, holding their lit candles:

_Should old acquaintance be forgot_

_And never brought to mind?_

_Should old acquaintance be forgot_

_And days of auld lang syne?_

_For auld lang syne, my dear_

_For auld lang syne_

_We'll take a cup of kindness yet_

_For auld lang syne_

**MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!**

-the end-


End file.
